Theresa May set to announce funding for zero emission vehicles

Today, the Zero Emissions Vehicle Summit, held in Birmingham, will be attended by PM, Theresa May.

Here, a £106 million funding boost will be announced for the research and development of zero emission vehicles.

The Prime Minister is expected to say: "I want to see Britain, once again, leading from the front and working with industries and countries around the world to spearhead change. That is why I have set this country an ambitious mission. To put the UK at the forefront of the design and manufacturing of zero-emission vehicles and for all new cars and vans to be effectively zero-emission by 2040."

At the Zero Emissions Vehicle Summit, the new Electric Vehicle Energy Taskforce, which was announced as a part of the ‘Road to Zero’ strategy in July, will be discussed. This is the first time that the energy and automotive industry has been brought together by the Taskforce.

Jesse Norman MP, Electric Vehicles Minister, said: “Bringing together government, automotive and energy sectors will help to ensure that Electric Vehicles become an integrated part of the UK energy system, and infrastructure upgrades can be planned in an efficient and sustainable way.”

The summit will gather leading transport visionaries in one place and provide an opportunity to meet and discuss important issues with senior government representatives from around the world.

However, the announcement has been met with some backlash. Speaking ahead of the summit, Craig Bennett, Friends of the Earth’s chief executive, said:  “We can’t afford to wait until 2040 for most new vehicles to be zero-emission. Pollution from road traffic is a major cause of air pollution and climate change – industry must be challenged to clean up its act far sooner.”

Photo Credit: Alexander Popov